Briefing and Hiring your own support staff
The information on this page is also available as a downloadable Quick Guide, by clicking below. There are.pdf and word versions.
Introduction
Employing your own staff can be an exciting but also daunting prospect. This Quick Guide gives some information about being an employer of support workers.
A Support Worker is someone you pay to help you because of your disability related needs, a Carer is someone who is not paid – usually family or a close friend.
Once you have interviewed and chosen a support worker, it’s a good idea to have a written agreement with them. You will also need to decide how to pay them.
Let’s make it happen
What might you include in your information to, and WRITTEN agreement with a support worker?
- Expectations of work – what does the work actually involve?
- Trial employment/probation – How long until you review/decide to keep a worker?
- Are there minimum shift requirements?
- Communication – how and when will you communicate with each other – phone, text, messenger, email, communication book? Must their phone always have credit? Can they use your wi-fi at home? Is it OK if they answer calls/texts while working?
- House – what are the expectations around housekeeping/cooking/cleaning etc. e.g.: Should the worker wash feeding supplies/dishes after each meal?
- Use of equipment/food etc. – can the worker help themselves to what’s in your fridge?
- Medical stuff – all about you/your child’s needs and action plans.
- Professional boundaries/privacy etc. – how much does your family value privacy? – What do you expect from a support worker around privacy issues – would you accept a ‘friend’ request online?
- How will the worker debrief after a tough shift – do they have a support network/mentor of their own for difficult times?
- What to do when things go wrong – contact lists, emergency information etc.
- Attire – how do you expect your worker to dress?
- Ongoing learning/training – what ongoing training do you expect from your worker, and who will pay for it (the time to train, and the costs of training)?
- Notice of cancellation – What happens when a shift is cancelled?
- Beliefs and Values – if you have certain beliefs or a cultural background that is important to you, make sure you know what that means for you and your support worker (e.g.: no pork in the house, or always fish on Fridays, or no animal products)
Setting Yourself Up as an Employer
- There are lots of things to think about when you employ your own workers. Have you factored in the cost of training for your workers? Do you expect them to pay for their own training costs? What happens if there is a WorkCover claim?
- Do you have a back-up person who can do payroll if you’re not able? You may wish to hire an agency or broker to manage payroll for you to look after tax, super and insurance obligations – that way if you’re ever sick or away, your workers are still taken care of. These management fees can be paid from Core supports in your NDIS plan if your plan is self-managed.
- Hiring Workers for the first time? It’s important to know your tax obligations – here’s some info from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Engaging-a-worker/Hiring-a-new-worker/
When Things Go Wrong
- If a worker isn’t doing as good a job as you’d like, the first thing to do is to speak to the worker. You might want a friend or family member to be with you. Let the worker know clearly what your expectations are and what you need from them. Review your written agreement together.
- If your support workers are not keeping your affairs private, you might want to let them know that privacy is important to you.
- If a worker is abusive or dangerous to you or your child, it’s important to immediately stop their shifts, and report them to police, even if it is just to stop them abusing others. If you need other support workers urgently and don’t know anyone, it might be a good idea to call a large support worker agency to he.pdfill the gaps until you find others to employ.
- If NDIS does not pay your bills on time, you will need to contact your local LAC or Support Co-ordinator or send an email to feedback@ndis.gov.au and ask for immediate support. If you are self-managing your NDIS plan, you can, with permission, make claims a week in advance, so it might be best to always be a week ahead with your claims to cover times when your internet isn’t working, or the NDIS portal isn’t working like it should.
Where you can find more information
- There’s some great information here about self-employment for disabled people from MyPlace: http://www.myplace.org.au/downloads/MyPlace_EngagingBooklet_Web.pdf
Co-authored by: The Growing Space